Childhood Dreams
by yaoigirl22
Summary: Everything had gone right, they had won. They should be back at the bar celebrating and bickering as they always do, instead they're in a hospital wondering what had gone wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Leverage.**

**A/N: Hi, everyone, welcome to my new Leverage fic, I hope you enjoy it. **

**Warnings: I guess over-protectiveness in future chapters? There is also child abuse, sexually abuse, mental,possessive, and obssesive nature as well in future chapters. **

**This takes place after The Grave Danger Job, the only pairing in this story is Nate/Sophie, there is no Parker/Hardison, mostly because I see them better off as siblings, I personally see Eliot and Parker as a better match, sorry fans. **

**This is Hardison-centric, because there are not enough of these puppies out there. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Childhood Dreams **

**Prologue: Silent Sounds **

"_**I have learned now that while those who speak about one's miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more."**_

― _**C.S. Lewis**_

A lot of people say hospitals are quiet, silent like a winter's night.

That was a lie.

Hospitals were forever loud, constant sounds of beeping life surrounded by never-ending machines, doctors and nurses' whispering to each other, walls echoing with the sounds of tears, prays and pleads. The air thick with repeated "this could be the day, I could lose them today".

Hospitals were never silent.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ford"

Tired, and red- eyed, Nate looked at the nurse who had quietly snuck in as not to disturb the other occupants in the room.

"A Detective Bonanno is here to see you" she whispered.

Nate nodded, he glanced over at the equally tired Elliot before getting up from the chair and out the room where the detective was waiting.

"How is he?" Detective Patrick Bonanno asked.

"Alive"

Patrick nodded, before handing the man a cup of coffee.

Nate took it, but didn't drink it, instead he sat down on the hard and uncomfortable plastic chairs, Patrick stared at the man he had come to call friend before slowly sitting down in the chair next to him. The two men sat there, Nate's eyes distant, hands trembling, the thief flinched when an alarm suddenly blared and a swarm of nurses and doctors came rushing down the hall, neither man knew how they felt on the fact that the swarm didn't entered room 401.

"What happened?" Patrick finally asked when things fell into silence once again, "Nate?" he then said when he didn't get an answer.

Nate looked at the closed door, where behind it three of his teammates his _**family**_ sat, waiting for their fifth member to do _**something**_, anything to ease this bone crushing feeling of fear and helplessness.

"Nate" said Patrick once again, "what happened to Hardison?"

Nate swallowed and vaguely was he was aware that the broken sound was coming from him.

"I don't" the man choked out, throat tight, "I don't know".

Soundly there was a loud beeping sound coming from the room 401, nurses and doctors swarmed in, two of the nurses escorting the rest of the protesting team out.

"Please, wait here!" one of the nurses ordered before slamming the door shut, but not before they all heard the doctor call for the dephibrilator.

Patrick looked the team over, took in how near broken they all looked, and decided he was going to need something much stronger then coffee.

And maybe perhaps they needed someone much stronger then Nate at the moment.

* * *

A lot of people say hospitals are quiet, silent like a winter's night.

That was a lie.

Hospitals were forever loud, constant sounds of beeping life surrounded by never-ending machines, doctors and nurses' whispering to each other, walls echoing with the sounds of tears, prays and pleads. The air thick with repeated "this could be the day, I could lose them today".

Hospitals were never silent.

And Nate hated it.

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter, here's the second! Also, I'm well aware of the likelyhood of a human being surviving the incident in this fic is next to none, but seeing as this is fanfic, I'm think I'm allowed some leeway. Unless you guys heard some survivor stories. I looked but could not find. **

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**Childhood Dreams **

_**If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we no laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?**_

_**-William Shakespeare-**_

Detective Patrick Bonanno places the steaming cup of coffee in front of the tired looking man, before sitting down across from him.

"Irish?" asked the man with forced humor.

"Sorry"

Nate gives a little smile, he doesn't touch the coffee.

Patrick sighs and readies himself, "Nate" he then said getting the man's attention, "start at the beginning"

Nate looks up away from the closed blinds to the Detective; the small room they were using for the interview was often used by Doctors to discuss news with a patient's family members, the fact that the news is generally bad is not lost on either of the men.

"Our job" Nate paused to lick his lips, he wanted, needed a drink, "our job, was a small Comic Con. The profits that were to be donated to public libraries were being stolen, Hardison….Hardison was enthusiastic"

Nate smiles at the memory of Hardison practically bouncing as he explained what a Comic Con was, down to the tiniest detail.

"Ellot" he continued on, "Eliot was about ready to kill him, until he saw the custom Hardison made him"

Eliot loved the custom, all of them enjoyed they're customs admittedly, it was so...fun.

"Like usual, everything went as it should have, and we were heading back to Lucille, Hardison was already there having headed back first …." Nate's brow furrowed as he remembered what had happened next, "suddenly he was pulling off without us, then…" Nate swallows, "then, the van exploded"

Patrick finishes up his notes and looks at the man, Nate had a distant look in eyes, remembering that day. The Detective knew that the thief wasn't going to tell him anymore.

"I'll try and keep the investigation from getting in too deep" Patrick said as he stands.

Nate gives a distant nod.

"Call me, if you need anything"

Patrick then left.

* * *

The moment the night Nurse comes in, Eliot is ready; his eyes roam over the woman.

Standard issued uniform, same style shoes as the other staff, ID clearly visible, smile pleasant and kind but professional.

Not a threat.

Eliot ease back into the chair, but his eyes track the woman as she goes about checking Alec, pausing only for a moment when she discovers Parker curled up in Hardison's bed before going about the rest of check-up, obviously the nurse before her had warned her about Parker. She smiles at Eliot before leaving, the moment the door closes it reopens and Nate walks.

The man had a cup of hot coffee in his hand; he gives the coffee to the Hitter, Eliot then watches as the man straightens the blanket that had fallen off the sleeping Sophie, fussing with it until he could no longer avoid it and looks at Hardison.

Nate flinches.

Wires and machines seem to be everywhere, bandages covering everything, and Alec. Small, fragile, and unmoving.

_The machine screams death, the yelling comes from him, he pushes through the doors; doctors and nurses. He cradles his son, body small, cold, and limp…_

"Nate"

Nate blinks and looks at Eliot, the other man is watching him with a slight tilt of the head; his eyes are eerily calm, like a storm before it strikes.

"What do you want to do?" Eliot asked.

The Hitter knows what the man wants, he wants the same thing, will get it either way. He wants to hear Nate say it, _**needs **_the man to say it, to get focus, to plan. They needed their Mastermind.

Nate looks back at the bed; he takes in Parker, curled up in the bed, hand clinging to the sheet covering Alec. He looks at Sophie who had placed herself in the chair next to the bed the moment she entered the room, locks onto her hand, the hand that had grasps and refuses to let go. Nate looks back at Eliot.

"I want" Nate then said after a moment, voice soft and hard as stone, "I want whoever did this, found"

Eliot smiles, and the storm readies itself to strike.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Childhood Dreams**

_**I think it would be interesting if old people got**_

_**anti-Alzheimer's disease where they slowly began to **_

_**recover other people's lost memories **_

_**~George Carlin~**_

The moment he enters the café and sees Colin "Chaos" Mason's usual arrogant expression falls into pale terror, that deep dark feeling that he keep under tight control, hums with satisfaction, walking over to the table; Eliot couldn't find it in him to silence it.

"You know why I'm here, don't you" he said when he stops and stands in front of the table.

Throat dry, Chaos nods, everyone in their world knew why the Hitter was here. Everyone in their world was waiting in fear and baited breathe for the world to go up in flames, everyone in their world hopes they come out of it with only burns.

"Good" Eliot said, turns around and heads for the exit.

Without a word Chaos gathers his things and follows.

Several hours later, Chaos is entering an apartment with plain white walls and no furniture save for a large table filled with laptops; there was a kitchen with an island separating what would probably be the living room but instead was home for the table. There is a door that probably was the bedroom, bathroom or both.

The door opens and Nate comes out, behind him follows Sophie and Chaos fights back a whimper. Sophie pays him no mind as she passes him to talk in low voices with Eliot. Nate comes closer to the Hacker until they were inches from each other, the man tilts his head just slightly as he studies the other. Finally, and to the Hacker's relief, Nate backs away.

"These are all of Hardison's laptops, we will be bringing his computer in a moment" Nate said as he goes over to the table, "when you find me what I need, you will be paid and be on your way" here he pauses, fingers playing with the keys of an open laptop, "you don't have to be afraid" he then said.

"I'm not afraid" Chaos said, voice slightly squeaky.

The corner of Nate's lips curls just slightly, "You're arrogant, and like to hear yourself talk" he then said, "so much that it could borderline narcissistic; probably is, the fact that you haven't said a word since you've been here, tells me that you're very afraid"

Chaos doesn't say otherwise.

"You don't have to be" said Nate, "however, if you use whatever against us, or anyone we know. Then you will have a reason to be afraid"

To his credit, Chaos doesn't look away or flinch when not only Nate's, but Eliot and Sophie' eyes bore into him. Absently, as he sits down in the chair Nate pulls out for him, he wonders if they can hear his pounding heart.

* * *

_Alec Hardison doesn't talk, perhaps he can't, or maybe he just won't. Either way Alec Hardison doesn't talk, it's the first thing twelve year old Richard "Riki" Mason notices about the five year old. _

Sitting in the chair that gives him a good view of both the door and window, Eliot thinks about Hardison's reaction when he wakes up and finds out that they let Chaos touch his computers, a grin curls up on the Hitter's lips as he pictures the look of horror that'll quickly turn into borderline anger towards them. What follow will possible be an hour long rant or nothing and porn magazines in the mail for months.

It was something he was eagerly looking forward too.

"Hope you don't mind sandwiches"

Eliot looks away from the prone figure on the bed, to the door, not surprised to see Detective Bonanno standing there with a brown bag in hand, with a white bag dangling on the other arm; the Hitter having heard the man's familiar footsteps (a slight limp, an aftereffect from dealings with those dirty lawmen two years ago) coming down the hall moment earlier.

"Sophie had mentioned that you probably haven't eaten in a while" Bonanno said as he comes further into the room.

Eliot nods his thanks, and Bonanno settles the bag on the portable tray used for patients, before taking the seat that was usually occupied by Sophie.

"Spoke to the doctors, they told me they're mostly worried about damage to the brain and nerves in the hands" the Detective said after there was nothing between them but beeping machines.

"He'll be fine" Eliot said.

It says a lot about what the Detective thought and felt about them that he doesn't mention that Hardison's heart had stopped once, that he had been dead for six minutes, that the doctor had good reasons to be worried. Instead the man talks about the investigation, about the bomb they found.

"Found no signature, so that rules out any known bombers, the Forensics team are still looking over the wreckage" here the Detective smiles a little, "they're impressed with the parts that have been collected, I think they have plans of stealing the stuff later"

Eliot gives a huff of laughter, while he may not understand half of what the Hacker did; he was no less impressed. Lucille even more so, since he helped put in most of the parts that had been in her.

"What about on your end?"

Eliot sighs and gets up to get the food brought to him, "We have someone, who is looking through Hardison's computers," he said as he pulled out a wrapped sandwich and bottled water, "at the moment they can't get in, Nate and Sophie are going through a list of who would hold a grudge against Hardison or the team. When we know, you'll know"

Bonanno nods then looks over at Hardison, he's spent time with the kid, had talked to him. To see this bright young man lying in this bed surrounded by doctors and nurses who weren't sure he'd come out of the coma with both mind and body intact damn near broke his heart, but it also resolved his determination to find out who did this.

He doesn't think too deeply over the fact that when he found that person, that instead of putting them in jail, he was giving them over to the Leverage team to deal with, nor about the satisfaction he felt about it.

_Nana tells him to watch over Alec, Riki wonders if the fact that he doesn't play with the other children in the house has anything to do with his new shadow._

"_Why don't you talk?" he asked one day as they sat on the porch of the house._

_Alec blinks at him, and then goes back to the toy the five year old had taken apart and now was putting back together. _

_Another thing Riki notices was that Alec was curious._

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